The Zenith Anchor was the largest structure humanity had ever built.
Located ten miles north of the Capital, it was a pyramid of black steel the size of a mountain. From its apex, a single cable made of woven carbon-nanotubes and Aether-filament stretched upward, piercing the clouds and vanishing into the infinite blue.
It didn't just look like a tower. It looked like a thread holding the planet in place.
The White Raven landed on the loading platform at the base of the pyramid. The air was still thick with the dust of the battle, but the silence here was heavy.
Marcus Vane stood at the base of the massive Ascension Carriage—a mag-lev train car the size of a hangar, designed to climb the tether.
"The Carriage is shielded," Marcus explained as the team disembarked. "It uses the tether's own magnetic field to climb. It will take us four hours to reach Geostationary Orbit. Once we are there... we are in the Emperor's domain."
Julian looked back at the skyline.
In the distance, the five Earth Titans stood in a protective ring around the Capital. The Gilded King was seated on its throne of buildings, recovering. The Magma Strider curled around the southern gate. The Frost-Breaker sat on its haunches like a guard dog in the north. The Gale-Warden hovered above. The Leviathan patrolled the coast.
"They stay here," Julian said. "They protect the cradle."
"They can't follow us," Marcus nodded. "They are creatures of mass. Gravity binds them. Only Titan 07 belongs to the void."
The Boarding
They drove the White Raven directly inside the massive Ascension Carriage. The clamps locked the ship down.
The team gathered in the Carriage's observation deck—a room with reinforced glass walls offering a 360-degree view.
Zephyr looked nervous. He was pacing, clutching his staff.
"There is no wind where we go," Zephyr whispered. "The air gets thin. Then it stops. How does one breathe in the Nothing?"
"We make our own air," Isolde said, checking the seals on her suit. "It's just like being underwater, Zephyr. Just... empty."
"It is unnatural," the Wind-Walker shuddered. "But I will go. If the wind dies on Earth, it is because the poison falls from the stars."
Julian stood by the window. His nanite arm was quiet, the blue lights dim. He was conserving every ounce of energy.
"Ready?" Marcus stood at the control console.
"Punch it," Julian said.
The Ascent
HUMMMMMM.
The magnetic rings around the tether engaged. The Carriage lifted off the pad—smoothly at first, then accelerating rapidly.
The g-force pressed them into the floor.
They shot through the cloud layer in seconds. The grey blanket of smog that had covered the earth for a century fell away.
For the first time, they saw the sun. Not a diffused glow, but a blinding, burning star in a stark blue sky.
"Look," Lyra pointed down.
The world shrank. The Capital became a gold coin. The Titans became toys. The wasteland became a map of textured rust.
As they climbed higher, the blue sky began to darken. It turned purple. Then indigo.
Then, the stars came out.
And then, the black.
Altitude: 40,000 km.
Status: Vacuum.
The curvature of the Earth was visible now. It was a bruised planet—grey and brown, swirling with storms. But in the south, a patch of vibrant green was spreading from the Jungle Titan. In the north, the ice was white.
"It's healing," Julian whispered, pressing his hand against the cold glass. "We didn't just break things. We started something."
"It's fragile," Marcus said, standing beside him. "One orbital strike from the Emperor could burn that green patch to ash in seconds."
"That's why we're here," Julian turned from the window. "To break his hammer."
The Orbital Spire
Hours passed in the silence of the ascent.
Then, a shadow fell over the Carriage.
Above them, looming at the end of the tether, was Titan 07: The Orbital Spire.
It wasn't a ship. It was a City in the Sky. A massive, vertical spear-point made of white ceramic and gold, surrounded by three rotating habitation rings. It was pristine, untouched by the rust of the world below.
Docked at the very top of the Spire was the Sovereign's Will, the Emperor's damaged flagship.
"That's it," Skid said, her voice hushed. "The High Heavens."
"It's a weapon platform," Marcus corrected. "The Spire isn't just a station. The central shaft is a Kinetic Rod Driver. It can drop tungsten rods on any target on Earth with the force of a nuclear bomb. No radiation. just pure impact."
"And the Emperor is in the control room," Julian said.
The Carriage slowed as it approached the docking bay at the base of the station.
CLANG.
The magnetic locks engaged.
ATMOSPHERE CYCLING.
GRAVITY: ARTIFICIAL (0.8 G).
The doors of the Carriage hissed open.
The Welcoming Committee
They stepped out onto the docking deck of the Spire.
The air here was recycled, sterile, and cold. It smelled of ozone and filtered lemon.
Waiting for them wasn't an army.
It was a single figure.
A hologram projected from the floor. It was the Emperor.
He wasn't wearing his armor. He was wearing simple white robes. He looked old, his face lined with centuries of unnatural life extension.
"Welcome to the Crown, Julian Vane," the hologram spoke. "And you, Marcus. My disappointing architect."
"We're here to finish it," Julian said, his nanite arm humming.
"Finish what?" The Emperor smiled sadly. "The war? The war is over. You won the dirt. I have the stars."
He gestured to the window, looking down at the Earth.
"You think you saved them. You only prolonged their suffering. The Dissonance is coming back, Julian. The signal from deep space... the one the Titans were built to fight... it is returning."
"I am not destroying the world for fun," the Emperor said. "I am harvesting the Titans to build an Ark. To leave. Because this planet is doomed."
"You're lying," Julian said.
"Am I?" The Emperor pointed to the deep black of space. "Look at the sensors."
Skid checked her datapad. She went pale.
"Julian," she whispered. "He's right. I'm picking up a signal from the outer system. It's... it's massive. And it sounds like... screaming."
"The Rust was just the infection," the Emperor said as his hologram faded. "The Plague is coming. I suggest you surrender your Resonance. It is the only fuel that can power the Ark."
The blast doors at the end of the hall opened.
Out marched the Void-Walkers. Not just assassins. Hundreds of them. The Emperor's personal legion.
Julian drew his weapon.
"If the world is ending," Julian said, "then we'll save it. Again."
He looked at Marcus.
"How do we get to the Throne Room?"
"We fight," Marcus pulled a heavy energy pistol from his coat. "We fight all the way up."